Sounders FC sign Sanyang

Signed at age 17 by Toronto FC, Sanyang made his debut on his 18th birthday, August 1, 2009, playing 14 minutes as a reserve versus New England. His first start came two weeks later in midfield versus D.C. United. He went on to play in 20 regular season games over two seasons, starting 15.

Sanyang, 19, was a free agent. Toronto had declined to exercise an option on Sanyang on December 3, 2010.

“Positionally, Amadou is a good fit for us because he can play either central midfield or in the back,” said Coach Sigi Schmid. “He’s a good passer, a good defender, and he can cover a lot of ground.”

Sanyang’s professional career began in 2007 with Real de Banjul. He helped lead the City Boys to the Gambian first division championship and was named the league’s top midfielder that year. Sanyang has also represented Gambia internationally at the U-17 and U-20 levels.

Not eligible to see action in MLS until turning 18, Sanyang played for the Toronto FC Academy for the first five months.